Atlanta Airport

A man suspected in a series of crimes in Michigan and Virginia was arrested at the Atlanta airport as he tried to leave the country in a Delta flight for Tel Aviv. U.S. Customs spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said the man was being held on unrelated charges and was taken into custody Wednesday at 10 p.m.

Most of his 20 victims were African-Americans, but investigators have been cautious to say the attacks were determined by racial hatred. However the youngest Michigan victim was 17, as well as two of the men attacked in Michigan were white. The first attack happened around the working-class city of Flint, Mich.

Details of the arrest, including the name of suspect, were not released yet, but according to WNEM-TV in Flint, he worked at a store in Beecher, Michigan.

Survivors described a white man, asking for help or directions, with a broken-down vehicle, then quickly stabbed them and drove off. State Police First Lt. Patrick McGreevy leads the Michigan investigating and he declined to say more about the case, but considered investigators are poring over state prison records and past cases which are similar in nature.

While this is a key step in the investigation, there are still many difficulties that need to be resolved before the investigators will identify this suspect as the person responsible for these crimes. He was handed over to the FBI and Atlanta police.

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